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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tube — a container
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — to push
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. press — a publisher
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. press — newspapers
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tube — the underground
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — clever
  23. current — of water
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com